10 Things our Dynamic New Head Anna Wilby Has Already Achieved at The Mount…
The Mount School’s 21st Head, Miss Anna Wilby, has been with us for a month now and has made a wonderful impression with pupils, parents, staff and committee members alike.
Anna said, “To be the Head of a school with such a rich, and long history as The Mount I regard as a privilege and view myself as a custodian: protecting the historic traditions and values whilst also looking to develop the school as a contemporary and relevant hub for education.”
As we come to the end of a busy half term, we take a moment to review some of the many things Anna Wilby has achieved already:
1. Meet & Greets
Anna was delighted to give talks about her background and aims for The Mount, on two evenings, where our whole school community was invited to listen and meet her afterwards.
Finalist as Small Independent School of the Year for the last two years’ running, Anna is keen to build on The Mount’s many strengths and to ensure pupils are the best they can be and prepared for life beyond school.
She said, “The role of Head is a multi-faceted one but at the heart of it all, I am an educationalist and have always been an advocate for high-quality teaching that encourages active learning. For me, lessons should be challenging, engaging, well planned and exciting but at the same time allow time for the independent work that pupils need to learn to work self-sufficiently and push themselves to develop. I want our pupils to be passionate about learning, not just bound by exam syllabi and schemes of work. They should want to actively explore around topics and discover passions and interests they did not know they had.”
2. Morning Meetings
Anna inspired us all in our first senior morning meeting of 2025, focusing on the themes of ‘gratitude’, ‘getting out of comfort zones’ and ‘setting three targets for the year’.
Since then, she has further inspired pupils where her international background and her musical expertise has enlivened morning meetings and allowed pupils to get to know her. She has even accompanied the school song on piano!
One meeting where she talked of the spirit of ‘not giving up, against all odds’ (using the example of the Thai football team trapped in a flooded cave for many weeks) captivated pupils.
3. Executive Team
In her quest to build on The Mount’s existing strengths, Anna meets regularly with her Executive Team.
She said, “I know that a lot of work was done last term by Mrs Goudriaan, Mr Waddington and Miss Capper in terms of developing training plans and the idea of ‘ensuring pupils are challenged’ becoming even more of a focus for our teachers but, as for any school, standing still is not an option. We are working collaboratively as an Executive Team to understand different viewpoints and to ensure the thriving future of our school is a shared goal.”
The team worked closely together following a visit from the ISI inspectors in early January, the results of which we await. Exciting new projects, including strengthening The Mount College’s proposition to widen opportunities and stand out in applications are underway. Watch this space!
4. Improving Communications
Anna has carefully listened and is eager to continue to offer open dialogue about The Mount. As a result, she quickly offered a communications survey to ask families how they want to be consulted and notified.
She said, “Getting our communication with you right, is very important to me and I would be very keen to hear your views on what we do well and what we can improve upon. This is an area high on my priority list. I am keen that we are giving you the information that you need in a timely manner but I also want to understand how you feel it is best to communicate with you. In an age of multiple methods of reaching out, from social media to emails and many software platforms to contend with, we want to understand what works best for the majority. I have always valued feedback as it tells us what we do well and are on track with and, conversely, the areas within which we can improve. Schools, like all businesses, should be ever changing entities as they strive to get better and better.”
5. Quaker Traditions
The Mount is a school built on a strong Quaker Foundation. 240 years ago, Esther Tuke, wife of William Tuke – both prominent Quakers – wished to provide a formative education for the daughters of Quaker families. This vision led to the establishment of the girls’ school, which opened on New Year’s Day 1785.
Many of the traditions formed throughout history remain and Miss Wilby has enjoyed embracing the school’s ethos. “I have been so struck by the power of silence since I arrived here and have very much enjoyed the Quaker Meetings I have attended so far.” Miss Wilby also recently attended our local Quaker Friargate Meeting House where she introduced herself to the local Quaker community in their mid-week Meeting. It was also wonderful see two Mount School Heads together as Anna was warmly greeted by Barbara Windle, our past headmistress, who was in attendance.
“The Mount is very much a school based on the importance of community and allowing pupils of all ages to mix is an integral part of the development of that community feel. Very few places can organise a debate involving the whole senior school. The Mount is somewhere where each individual’s voice can be heard and valued equally, and I will be working very hard to ensure that this is always evident and clear.”
6. Scholarships’ Selection Panellist
Anna was blown away by the varied talents and skills that pupils shared with her as part of the recent scholarship application process. She said, “I have enjoyed meeting individual pupils as they came for entrance or scholarship interviews with me. I loved hearing about their passion for reading and seeing them light up as they explained the books they were currently enjoying.”
She said, “I am a huge believer in holistic education and the balance and harmony that comes from hard work in the classroom and dedication to co-curricular activities. Of course, we want our pupils to leave school with the best grades achievable, but we also want them to leave as excellent, resilient and well-rounded people. It can be said that exam results are the keys to the garden of life but, ultimately, what can be achieved once in there is linked to personal attributes and the soft skills developed alongside those grades.
I was struck in the senior school play very recently by the resilience shown by the cast when illness struck and some roles were switched at the eleventh hour. One pupil, who learned two different parts with just a few hours’ notice, sums up the courageous, can-do, team spirit of Mount pupils. ”
7. Consultation with College Leadership Team
The College Leadership team (CLT) is an integral part of life in Sixth Form and at The Mount and it is an honour to be selected. New CLT members are being chosen (after an application process) now to start in September 2025.
Anna sat down with the Year 13 team and had a frank discussion about how they viewed The Mount, what they thought were the positives of the school and how we can improve, though Sixth Form has many strengths already, ‘Highly Commended’ as an ‘Awesome Sixth Form’ 2024 by Muddy Stilettos’ review site.
The Mount prepares pupils very well for life post-school too, which was recognised by being shortlisted in the ‘Support for Life Beyond School’ category of Talk Education review site’s 2024 awards.
Anna added, “I had the pleasure of meeting two members of last years’ CLT who were visiting from university. They were delighted to come back and visit, and I was touched that they wanted to meet me, but what I really noted as we talked, were their comments about having learned all the study skills they needed for university here at The Mount. Interestingly, their perception was that some other students around them had not had such good preparation from their own schools.”
8. Percussion Workshop with Year 7s
Previously a Director of Music, both in UK and international settings, Anna recently shared her music teaching prowess, running a percussion masterclass for Year 7s.
Her mastery on the marimba is second-to-none and Year 7s sat open-mouthed at her speed and agility, using four sticks no less! Anna also shared her skills with pupils in a Choc Lunch concert recently after watching their talented performances.
Not averse to rolling her sleeves up as a hands-on part of our school community, Anna expertly accompanied a school meeting on the piano when the Director of Music was unavailable.
9. Productions, Social Evenings & Sport to Come
With a background in performance herself, Anna has been delighted to be immersed in several high-quality Mount productions, already, which have included The Dance Showcase and the Senior School production of Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches’, both of which wouldn’t be out of place in The West End!
Keen to get to know our whole school community as soon as possible, Anna joined us for a pre-Burns night ceilidh and looks forward to the various other productions (for example the Junior School play), charity balls and social evenings planned throughout the year.
She is also keen to attend the sports competitions we regularly host and attend such as swimming galas, netball league competitions and interschool gymnastics competitions, one of which we host in March.
10. Meeting with Pupils
Anna immediately made meeting pupils a top priority – as what is a school without pupil voice at its heart? – and has already made swift progress.
So far, she has enjoyed meeting Year 11s and the College Leadership team, with other senior years’ meetings planned in the diary.
In Junior School, she has so far met with Years 3 – 6, asking their opinions on school matters but also having fun. For example, this week Year 3 enjoyed sharing fun facts about themselves, singing with Miss Wilby to the latest Bruno Mars song and talking about what they most enjoy about school.
Miss Wilby said, “What a lively and enthusiastic bunch, articulate, opiniated and great singers too!”
So, we offer a warm welcome to our new Head, Miss Anna Wilby, and cannot wait to see what further remarkable things you can achieve in close partnership with the whole Mount community. Here’s to 2025.
She said, “So what is my vision for this school? In short, I want The Mount to be the obvious choice for families seeking a smaller school environment where they can receive individualised service and an education which both nurtures and challenges. A happy school where pupils are immersed in academic ambition, constantly striving for the best results they can achieve within a supportive and safe environment. This will be overlaid with a diverse and exciting co-curricular programme which develops the skills needed for the future as well as pastoral care which is proactive and allows pupils to face the challenges of life with confidence and resilience.”
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